"What You Gave Me" is a hit duet written and produced by
Ashford & Simpson and issued as a single originally by the vocal duo of
Marvin Gaye and
Tammi Terrell in 1969 on the
Tamla label.
Recorded in the final throes of the Gaye-Terrell duet recordings, the song became the second single from their album, Easy. As with much of the album, there is debate over who sang with Gaye: Terrell, who was undergoing treatment for brain cancer, or the track's co-writer and co-producer,
Valerie Simpson.
While Gaye later insisted that Simpson stood in for Terrell, Simpson has maintained that Terrell took part in the recordings. Whatever the case, the song gave the duo a modest charting, peaking at number forty-nine pop and number six R&B.[1]
Cash Box described it as a "finely honed vocal collaboration."[2]
David Ruffin also recorded the song for his 1969 album
Feelin' Good. It was revived years later as a club hit by
Diana Ross in 1978. Her version peaked at #86 on the R&B charts.
